The CBGB Music and Film Festival is being held again in the city that was the home of the iconic punk club.
This year is the second for the festival which will be held from October 9 to the 13 at various venues around New York.
On the opening night of the festival, the dramatic film CBGB will get it's festival premier at The Landmark Theatre on East Houston Street. Based on the behind-the-scenes story of the beginnings of the US punk movement, CBGB features a talented ensemble cast channeling the prime movers of the era. Starring Alan Rickman (Harry Potter, Love Actually, Die Hard) as late CBGB owner Hilly Kristal, the film chronicles the creation of the music landmark and musical movement that spawned Blondie, Television, The Ramones, Talking Heads, Dead Boys and The Police. Other stars in the film include Malin Akerman (Watchmen, The Proposal) as Debbie Harry of Blondie, Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) as Iggy Pop, Mickey Sumner (Francis Ha) as Patti Smith, Rupert Grint (Harry Potter) as Cheetah Chrome of Dead Boys, and Johnny Galecki (The Big Bank Theory, Roseanne) as record exec Terry Ork among many others.
The full schedule for the film portion of the festival has not been announced, but joining CBGB will be Louder Than Love: The Grand Ballroom Story (directed by Tony D'Annuncio and documenting the Detroit music scene) and Looking For Johnny, The Legend of Johnny Thunders (directed by Danny Garcia about legendary punk guitarist Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls) along with a special portion of the weekend dedicated to great rock films of the past, many with Q&A sessions.
Full schedules for the film and music showcases will be announced in the coming weeks. For now, here is a short promo piece on the festival.
